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Checker Bloom
Sidalcea malviflora
  
32 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Checker Bloom (Sidalcea malviflora) 32 Nurseries Carry This Plant Checker Bloom (Sidalcea malviflora) is a common native perennial herb in the Malvaceae (Mallow) family that grows in Northern, Southern and Central California, the Sierra Nevada and Sacramento Valley regions. It tends to grow in dry, open flats, at elevations from sea level to 7,500 feet. It has bright green palmate leaves and 1" deep pink flowers arranged vertically on a spike. There are several recognized subspecies with different geographic ranges and slightly differing characteristics.

This plant tolerates a wide variety of soils, and prefers damp winter conditions and dry summer conditions. It is most often started from seed and sometimes behaves like an annual.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Perennial herb

Size
Size
0.3 - 1.5 ft tall
3 - 6 in wide

Form
Form
Spreading

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Summer Semi-Deciduous

Flower Color
Flower Color
Pink, Green

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported
 
Butterflies, native bees, other pollinators

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 4 confirmed , 2 likely * ) SHOW ALL
Pyrgus communis Image
Common Checkered-Skipper Pyrgus communisPyrgus communis
Pyrgus ruralis Image
Two-banded Checkered-Skipper Pyrgus ruralisPyrgus ruralis
Vanessa annabella Image
West Coast Lady Vanessa annabellaVanessa annabella
Chionodes popa Image
Chionodes popaChionodes popa
*
Strymon melinus Image
Gray Hairstreak Strymon melinusStrymon melinus
*
Pyrgus albescens Image
White Checkered-Skipper Pyrgus albescensPyrgus albescens

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Part Shade, Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 32

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 0 - 10° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates wide variety of soils. Tolerates Serpentine Soil. Soil PH: 6 - 7

Common uses
Common uses
Groundcovers, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Many companion plants depending on region. Because it is low growing, plant with other short plants so it won't be obscured, such as native bunch grasses, annuals and bulbs.

Propagation
Propagation?
By seed.  For propagating by seed: Soak in warm water 6 hrs. ( Emery and Frey 1971).

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
4, 5, 6*, 7*, 8*, 9*, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Found in a variety of settings and habitats including coastal prairie, coastal sage scrub, dry, open flats with grassland, meadows, and openings in chaparral, woodland or forest (oak, redwood, pine or fir), primarily along the coast and in the Coast Ranges, with scattered locations elsewhere.

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 6.7" - 158.0", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 5.80", Coldest Month: 26.4" - 55.6", Hottest Month: 51.5" - 80.9", Humidity: 0.01" - 29.75", Elevation: -253" - 9013"

Alternative Names
Common Names: California Checkerbloom, Checker Mallow, Dwarf Checkerbloom, Wild Hollyhock


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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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